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Straits Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Straits Times
NTU upholds zero grade for student penalised for academic misconduct; panel found 14 false citations or data
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The essay was part of a course on health, disease outbreaks and politics at NTU's School of Social Sciences. SINGAPORE - Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has upheld the zero mark given to a student penalised earlier for academic misconduct, following an appeal made by the student. In a statement on July 18, the university said the panel, which reviewed the student's appeal, found 14 instances of false citations or data in her essay, noting that these were not mere 'typos' or typographical errors. One example was the citing of non-existent sources. 'The panel stipulated that citing non-existent sources is a serious form of academic misconduct as the accurate citation of sources is the foundation of academic research and writing,' NTU said. 'Citing non-existent sources constitutes a serious form of academic misconduct.' The university added that such errors are commonly associated with factual inaccuracies generated by generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) tools. The assignment in question was part of a course on health, disease outbreaks and politics at NTU's School of Social Sciences. Three students enrolled in the module had earlier in Apri l received a zero grade for the same essay after their submissions were flagged for containing non-existent academic references and statistics, or broken web links. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Critical infrastructure in S'pore under attack by cyber espionage group: Shanmugam Singapore Who is UNC3886, the group that attacked S'pore's critical information infrastructure? Singapore HSA looking to get anti-vape cyber surveillance tool with AI capabilities Singapore Alleged Kpod peddler filmed trying to flee raid in Bishan charged with 6 offences Singapore 30% of aviation jobs could be redesigned due to AI, automation; $200m fund to support workers: CAAS Singapore Former NUH male nurse faces charges after he allegedly molested man at hospital Singapore Character counts as much as grades, Desmond Lee tells students The case has drawn attention to the growing use of AI in education, and sparked discussion about its impact on academic integrity and critical thinking. It came to light after a Reddit post by one of the students on June 19 went viral. In the post, she claimed she was accused of using AI in a final essay for a module because she had made errors in her citations and used a reference organiser. NTU had earlier confirmed that the use of Gen AI tools had been explicitly prohibited by the course instructor throughout the semester, with students warned that any AI-generated content would result in a zero grade. The assignment was worth 45 per cent of the final grade. The student whose appeal case was heard by the panel had said earlier that she had used only a reference organiser and had submitted updated citations to rectify her earlier mistakes. On the panel's decision to keep the zero mark, she told The Straits Times when contacted on July 18 that while she does not agree fully with its reasoning and conclusion, she was ready to move on. 'I respect NTU's decision and treat it as a case of bad luck on my end,' she said. Meanwhile, a request for an appeal by the second student, who was also penalised, was earlier rejected. The third student did not submit an appeal. All cases of academic misconduct are documented in the internal records of the students, NTU said on July 18. 'The outcome of the appeal panel is final,' said NTU. 'We urge everyone to respect the integrity of the appeals process and refrain from making personal attacks against any individual involved.' 'The university is committed to safeguarding the well-being of the university's faculty, staff and students.'
Indian Express
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
JNU during Emergency: When Maneka Gandhi was left fuming and a case of mistaken identity
Three months after the Indira Gandhi government imposed Emergency, on September 25, 1975, a black Ambassador drove into the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus and stopped near its School of Social Sciences. In the car were policemen led by DIG P S Bhinder, who was close to Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's younger son. They were looking for JNU Students' Union president D P Tripathi but ended up detaining the wrong man. 'Bhinder virtually kidnapped me. They were looking for D P Tripathi, who looks quite different, but arrested me instead,' recalls journalist Prabir Purkayastha. At the time, he was a PhD scholar at the School of Computer Sciences and, like Tripathi, a member of the CPI(M)'s student wing SFI. The incident took place while the students were on strike following the expulsion of student leader Ashoka Lata Jain, Purkayastha's fiancée. 'We had stopped Maneka Gandhi, the then PM's daughter-in-law, from going to her class,' he says, remembering what triggered the police response. In Emergency Chronicles: Indira Gandhi and Democracy's Turning Point, historian Gyan Prakash writes, 'On the day Prabir was abducted, Maneka arrived on campus just before 9:00 a.m. for her class in the School of Languages. She got out of her black Ambassador and walked to the elevator to go up to her classroom. As she waited, Tripathi, accompanied by other students including Prabir, asked her to heed the strike call and boycott classes. 'You are one of us, Mrs. Gandhi Junior!' Maneka exploded in anger. 'Just you wait and see. Your heads will roll on the ground!' Then she stomped off. An hour later, another Ambassador entered JNU, and Prabir was whisked off.' In his statement to the Shah Commission, which the Janata Party government set up in 1977 to investigate the excesses of Emergency, Additional District Magistrate (South) P Ghosh said South Delhi SP Rajendra Mohan had told him that Bhinder had gone to JNU to arrest Tripathi because Maneka Gandhi complained to her husband about the 'anti-government activities in JNU and Sanjay Gandhi had summoned Shri Bhinder and had asked him to take drastic action'. Tripathi, meanwhile, went into hiding, holed up in a washerman's house behind the Statesman Building on Barakhamba Road in the Capital for a few days. Two months later, he was arrested and sent to Tihar Jail, where he remained till the end of Emergency with other political detainees, including Arun Jaitley. 'Frankly, the imposition of Emergency was a surprise to all of us,' says Purkayastha. 'The Supreme Court had partially stayed her (Indira Gandhi's) disqualification as an MP and allowed her to continue as Prime Minister. But these developments happened against the backdrop of various protests, by students, youth, and workers.' The news of Emergency broke not in print, but on the radio on June 26. 'It is difficult for people today to imagine a life without cellphones and social media. So, we discovered Emergency only the next morning, without newspapers. All newspaper publications had been halted by cutting off electricity to their printing presses. We learned the news on All India Radio when Mrs Gandhi announced it,' recalls the 75-year-old. At JNU, student organisers regrouped immediately. 'The immediate response of the SFI was to create new structures that would operate during the Emergency. We began to function as smaller, more decentralised groups while coordinating our resistance,' says Purkayastha. As Opposition leaders and activists were rounded up, a politically active campus such as JNU — the irony was that it is named after the PM's father — was also targeted. On July 8, Prakash writes, the police raided the campus around 3 am and arrested around 25 students, most of them randomly. 'We had one major crackdown when a large number of policemen surrounded the campus and hostels, conducting room-to-room searches. By then, none of the student leaders were sleeping in their rooms. The few taken away were released shortly, as police had failed to net the big fish they were hoping to get,' says Purkayastha. Political life on campus was as much about discourse as it was about mobilisation. 'One thing that demarcated student politics in JNU was a vibrant culture of debate and discussion combined with mass actions. Prakash Karat, D P Tripathi, and Sitaram Yechuri were all active in student politics,' he says. The faculty also played a crucial role in campus life. 'We had Professor Bipan Chandra, who often disagreed with us but would debate as an equal; Professor Sudipto Kaviraj; Professor Romila Thapar, Professors Prabhat and Utsa Patnaik, whose writings helped us understand history and the political economy of the country,' says Purkayastha. He was detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), a preventive detention law widely used during Emergency, and taken to Tihar. 'The difference in jail then was that we were treated as political prisoners … At present, there is no distinction between political prisoners charged under criminal laws and other undertrials.' Purkayastha's detention triggered protests at JNU. 'There was widespread protest against my arrest from students and teachers. Tripathi was arrested a couple of months later. For some time, both of us shared a ward with Professor M M P Singh, the President of the Delhi University Teachers Association; Nanaji Deshmukh; and Arun Jaitley.' After six months, he was shifted to Agra Jail, 'a jail which was supposed to have been closed and demolished, but continued for the period of Emergency'. 'Even though there is no distinction between those who are targeted for political reasons and others, there was camaraderie in prison. It cut across politics, class and even the kind of offences people were charged with. The isolation was worse in Agra, where we also faced solitary confinement. For families, it became harder to visit, though Ashoka, my fiancée, still came every fortnight.' Looking back, Purkayastha says the experience strengthened his political views. It ended up not being his last brush with the law. He went on to establish the NewsClick website and was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA in 2023, accused of receiving foreign funds for pro-China propaganda. In May 2024, days after the Supreme Court invalidated his arrest, a Delhi court granted him bail. 'I was already a student activist of the SFI from my pre-JNU days. My jail period (during Emergency) confirmed my views of the nature of the State and the importance of various freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution. There is no question that the freedom of the press is intimately linked to our right to speak as citizens, to our freedom of speech and expression,' he says.
IOL News
06-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
Blind student triumphs: Azraa Ebrahim graduates cum laude amid challenges
Azraa Ebrahim and Professor Matshepo Matoane – Dean in the School of Social Sciences Image: UKZN In a remarkable testament to resilience and determination, Azraa Ebrahim has successfully graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science, majoring in Religion Studies and Industrial Psychology, cum laude, while achieving an impressive 14 distinctions. This achievement comes after a university journey that began during the unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, an experience that was further complicated by her blindness. Ebrahim faced significant challenges in adapting to online learning environments. However, with the unwavering support of her parents, peers, lecturers, and the University's Disability Support Unit, she embraced her academic pursuits. Transitioning from online classes to in-person learning, she adeptly utilised a white cane and various assistive technologies, including screen readers, to navigate her educational landscape. Her academic accomplishments extend beyond the classroom. Ebrahim presented a paper at the ASRSA Conference 2024, where she not only won the Best Student Paper award but was also invited to publish her paper in the esteemed Journal of Islamic Studies. Furthermore, she delivered a sermon at the TIP Eid-ul-Adha Eidgah, candidly sharing her experiences of discrimination throughout her life due to her disability. Alongside her collaborators, Dr Cherry Muslim and Chukwudera Nwodo, Ebrahim presented at the AMS Colloquium 2024, earning accolades for Best Paper in her concurrent session. Ebrahim reflected on her academic journey, said, "To ensure I was personally competent, I would begin exam and test preparation a month in advance to account for my slow reading pace. Despite my initial challenges, I am immensely grateful for the relationships I have built, the knowledge I've gained, and the friends I've made along the way." Now an NRF Honours Scholarship grantholder, she is pursuing her Honours degree in Religion and Social Transformation under the mentorship of Dr Cherry Muslim. Her current research centres on women-led khutbah (sermons) in Islam, reinforcing her ambition to become a scholar of Islam and enter academia, where she aims to elevate research on disability from a uniquely informed perspective. Balancing her academic commitments with family obligations presented further challenges during exam seasons, often leading to stressful situations. To manage her time effectively, Ebrahim planned meticulously, ensuring that she set aside moments for family gatherings and personal connections. Finding an outlet in karate helped alleviate stress and stave off burnout, while her family played an integral role in reminding her to rest, eat properly, and protect her eyes from strain. In an empowering message to students with disabilities, Ebrahim advised, 'Wear your disability with a badge of pride. Do not look upon it with disgrace, nor attempt to conceal it from societal scrutiny." She emphasised that while disabilities are a significant part of one's identity, they do not define an individual completely. "In a world engulfed by discrimination, stigma, and alienation, we must celebrate our uniqueness and challenge socially constructed ways of being," she said.
Time of India
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
What Pope could've taught Gen Munir
Dipankar Gupta taught for nearly three decades in the School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University. To function as a nation-state, Pakistan need not inject hate into Islam Pope Francis will be buried today but his footprint in history will stay forever. In fact, Pakistan's army chief Pope's message and delete, delete, delete, his Muslims-are-not-Hindus hate message. Of course, Muslims aren't Hindus, nor are they Jews, Christians, or Buddhists or, whatever. Shias aren't Sunnis either. Yet, as Pope Francis reminded us, we are 'one' across religions. In saying this, Pope fast forwarded the Catholics into the 21st century by holding firm to Jesus's core message. Read the full story on TOI+. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
